Bootleg Biology wants you to enjoy your culture purchase and the fruits of your fermentation. Since this purchase is not being made face-to-face, it’s helpful for everyone to understand our basic policy regarding the ordering and shipping of our cultures to prevent misunderstanding. We feel confident you’re going to enjoy your experience and cultures!
Ordering:
Direct Homebrew Culture purchases are limited to the U.S.A. and Canada at this time (please check out our Homebrew Culture Retailers page for stores who carry our cultures outside the U.S.). Commercial Pitches are available in the U.S.A., Canada, Great Britain, Western Europe, Australia and New Zealand.
Cultures are not permitted for resale unless previously agreed to in writing by Bootleg Biology LLC.
Cancellation/Refund/Credit: Orders may be cancelled with full refund if requested within 24 hours of order being placed unless order has already shipped.
Direct Homebrew Culture Shipping:
Due to the potential for weather extremes and their effect on culture health, all cultures will be shipped no slower than with an estimated 2 day delivery timeframe. We now offer Flat Rate shipping for all Homebrew Culture orders! Flat Rate shipments will be sent via FedEx 2 Day Air (if you live in our one day Ground shipping area your order may ship via FedEx Ground). FedEx will not deliver to PO Box addresses; please choose a different delivery address or your order may be cancelled. We cannot guarantee these delivery times due to variations in extreme weather events, increased seasonal carrier volume or other uncontrollable circumstances.
*** TEMPORARY ADDENDUM: WE CANNOT CONTROL IF YOUR PACKAGE IS DELAYED DUE TO COVID-19-RELATED TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS, EXCESSIVE CARRIER VOLUME, WEATHER OR DISRUPTIONS TO PARCEL CARRIER DELIVERY ROUTES. FEDEX WILL MAKE EVERY REASONABLE EFFORT TO DELIVER YOUR PACKAGE BUT IS NOT GUARANTEEING DELIVERY TIMES.
Cultures will only be shipped Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday to help prevent them from sitting in shipping facilities on Sundays. All culture purchases will be shipped with a free ice pack. If you would like more ice packs, please order your preferred additional quantity. We cannot guarantee ideal temperatures will be maintained in the shipment box, especially during very warm or cool days. Please consult your local weather report and order accordingly, and additionally monitor your provided tracking information for estimated delivery dates.
Our cultures should remain at optimal viability for at least 4 months (and likely longer) at normal refrigerator temperatures. We highly recommend creating a starter for homebrew cultures that will be used for primary fermentation. If you do not see activity after 72 hours in a properly made starter within 3 months of the pack date, please contact us and we will do our best to send you a replacement culture (either same or similar). Replacement of non-viable cultures will not be provided due to purchaser not being home or available for original delivery date, or due to rerouting by shipping provider and/or purchaser.
If you have not received your cultures within 72 hours after shipment, please consult your tracking information. If the shipping provider states your cultures have been lost, please contact us and let us know if you would like a refund or new cultures shipped. We will coordinate with shipping providers regarding lost packages.
Please ensure your shipping address is correct including unit or apartment number. There may be an additional charge for your package to be rerouted to the correct address. If your package delivery is delayed due to an incorrect shipping address we highly recommend making a starter before using, but also cannot accept responsibility if the culture arrives in poor health.
International Direct Homebrew Culture Shipping:
In addition to the provisions of the Homebrew Culture Shipping policy listed above, the following conditions apply to orders shipped direct outside of the United States:
Orders may take between 2 to 7 days to deliver due to extensive travel distance and/or potential delays due to the customs clearance process. Your culture should still be healthy enough to use directly in 5 gallons or 20 Liters of standard gravity wort, but we highly recommend making a starter before using.
If the delivery address country determines your order requires duties, inspection, food commodity or any other government determined fee, the payment of those fees and/or duties are the sole responsibility of the person listed on the shipping address (recipient) of your order. FedEx or a government official will contact the receiver via the shipping email address or phone number listed in your order for payment of fees and/or duties before releasing the package for delivery.
If you would like someone other than FedEx or UPS to be the broker of record, please contact us prior to placing your order as there may be additional fees assessed by FedEx or UPS for this service.
Direct Homebrew Culture Orders with Merchandise or Lab Supplies:
To help you save on shipping costs, we will wait to ship any non-Homebrew Culture items (Merchandise, Lab Supplies, etc) from your order until your Homebrew Cultures are ready to ship so that everything can be shipped together. If you would like non-Homebrew Cultures shipped sooner, please order these items separately.
Direct Homebrew Culture Orders with backordered items:
To help you save on shipping costs, we will wait to ship any in stock items from your order until your backordered Homebrew Cultures are ready to ship so that everything can be shipped together. If you would like in stock Homebrew Cultures shipped sooner, please order these items separately.
Commercial Pitch Shipping:
All cultures will be shipped no slower than with an estimated 2 day (Australia/New Zealand: 3 to 7 days) delivery timeframe. If your shipping address is in a state that is in our Ground 1 or 2 Day delivery area, you will be given this shipping option at check out (Please check the FedEx Ground Map and type “37210” to see if you qualify). Otherwise you will be given 2 Day Air or faster shipping options. If you qualify for and select Flat Rate as your shipping option, your order will be shipped Ground if you are within our 1 or 2 Day Ground shipping area, customers outside this area will have their orders shipped via 2 Day Air. We cannot guarantee delivery times due to variations in extreme weather events, increased seasonal carrier volume, customs/quarantine issues or other uncontrollable circumstances.
*** TEMPORARY ADDENDUM: WE CANNOT CONTROL IF YOUR PACKAGE IS DELAYED DUE TO COVID-19-RELATED TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS, EXCESSIVE CARRIER VOLUME, WEATHER, OR DISRUPTIONS TO PARCEL CARRIER DELIVERY ROUTES. FEDEX WILL MAKE EVERY REASONABLE EFFORT TO DELIVER YOUR PACKAGE. FEDEX WILL NOT GUARANTEE DELIVERY TIMES CURRENTLY.
Cultures will only be shipped Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday to help prevent them from sitting in shipping facilities on Saturdays or Sundays. All Commercial Pitches will be shipped with free ice packs inside a foam insulated shipping container. We cannot guarantee ideal temperatures will be maintained in the shipment box, especially during very warm or cool days.
When your order is placed, we will email back with an estimated shipping week based on our current production schedule. We can’t guarantee exact shipping dates due to the possibility of unexpected production delays. Please do not brew until you have verified the culture has been received in good condition, since it’s possible the culture may be lost or damaged in transit.
Our cultures should remain at optimal viability for at least 1 month at normal refrigerator temperatures. Replacement of non-viable cultures will not be provided due to purchaser not being available to receive Commercial Pitch on original delivery date, due to rerouting by shipping provider and/or purchaser, or mishandling by purchaser.
If you have not received your cultures within 48 hours (Australia/New Zealand: 72 hours or longer) after shipment, please consult your tracking information provided by UPS, FedEx or DHL. If the shipping provider states your cultures have been lost, please contact us and let us know if you would like a refund or new cultures shipped. We will coordinate with shipping providers regarding lost packages.
Purchaser agrees Bootleg Biology shall not be held liable for any lost wholesale or retail beer revenue, ingredient replacement value, labor compensation, or any related production expense due to use of our products.
Cancellation/Refund/Credit: Orders may be cancelled with full refund if requested within 24 hours of order being placed unless order has already shipped. For orders older than 24 hours, a requested credit may be given for partial or total order amount (if the order has not shipped) on a case-by-case basis determined by how far along your order is in the production process.
International Commercial Pitch Shipping:
If the delivery address country determines your order requires duties, inspection, food commodity or any other government determined fee, the payment of those fees and/or duties are the sole responsibility of the person listed on the shipping address (recipient) of your order. FedEx, UPS or a government official will contact the receiver via the shipping email address or phone number listed in your order for payment of fees and/or duties before releasing the package for delivery.
If you would like someone other than FedEx or UPS to be the broker of record, please contact us prior to placing your order as there may be additional fees assessed for this service.
Updated: March 22, 2023